Nutritionist Neal Barnard dedicated several pages to the subject in his book Your Body in Balance, explaining very well what a woman needs according to the stage of life in which her hormones are. Let’s review:
If you want to get pregnant: In this case, specialists indicate that you should consume lean proteins at each meal; reduce the consumption of flour-based products (bread, white rice, pasta); eliminate alcohol and tobacco and include foods rich in iron, folic acid and vitamin B12.
If you are pregnant: Your diet must consider nourishing the mother and baby during pregnancy, so you should favor a healthy diet, rich in nutrients and low in sugar, salt and saturated fats. In addition, you should drink plenty of calorie-free drinks and consume foods of plant origin (vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grain products). Along with the above, you will have to moderate the consumption of foods of animal origin (milk, lean meats, oily fish, eggs) and limit sweets, sugary drinks, snacks, saturated fats and oils, preferring vegetable oils (olive, rapeseed).
If you are already in menopause: In this case, your goal should be to reduce symptoms and control weight, so you will have to increase your consumption of whole grains, fruits and vegetables, and reduce dietary fats. You should also increase the consumption of foods rich in soy isoflavones (milk, flour, oil). Daily soy consumption is key, along with a low-fat vegan diet.
In all cases, expert Barnard suggests that the best recommendation is to maintain a diet based mainly on plants, which will balance hormones.
